The U.S. Census Bureau’s statistic reveals that one out of every three children in America live without their dad in the home. Since 1991, the number of children with a father in prison has grown by 79%.
With 92 percent of the jail inmates being fathers, the father absence crisis in America is real. The “adverse childhood experience” (ACE) a child faces for having a parent in jail is different from other ACEs. The experience inflicts a lot of stigma, trauma, and shame on the children. They are also prone to negative behavioral outcomes and depression. The health of such children suffers, and they often take resort to illicit drugs or marijuana to cope with the depression.
Studies reveal that incarceration passes from one generation to another. …show more content…
On the other hand, the mother has completely different challenges to address. Apart from handling the child, she is left wondering how to cope with the daily chores and manage family life. She often loses confidence to handle so many practical issues like finances, informing relevant authorities, and talking to children alone.
How to break the news to children?
Children instinctively idolize their father. So talking to them about why their father is away and not at home is the most difficult part. The information you give them depends on their age, maturity, and acceptance level.
Choose a quiet time and go slow. They will take time to let the information sink in and accept. They might ask questions which you might not be comfortable answering. However, answer the best you can. It would help them come to terms with reality.
Be very careful if you ask them to keep this a secret and not to share with their friends. The burden of keeping a secret puts a lot of pressure and often makes them feeling …show more content…
Reach out to them.
Challenge for poor and minorities
Poor and minority families are more fragile and struggle to cope with incarceration. Sometimes, when men are dangerously abusive to their partners, arrest improve things for families and neighborhood. Children from such families run the risk of having poor role models and turning out to be criminals. In such situations, mothers need to play the role of gatekeepers and limit the access of problematic fathers.
Can America address this social issue?
Sometimes, imprisonment is not a solution. Apart from the agony it causes to the children, it also wreaks havoc. Mass imprisonment, especially in poor and minority communities, does more harm than good. Mothers and children struggling to make both ends meet suffer more than the fathers. Moreover, children run the risk of following their father’s footsteps.
Can we find ways to punish non-violent offender without imprisonment? Can the government consider ways to mitigate the costs – both long term and immediate that imprisonment has on children? After all, children are the future of the nation and it’s our duty to protect their
With 92 percent of the jail inmates being fathers, the father absence crisis in America is real. The “adverse childhood experience” (ACE) a child faces for having a parent in jail is different from other ACEs. The experience inflicts a lot of stigma, trauma, and shame on the children. They are also prone to negative behavioral outcomes and depression. The health of such children suffers, and they often take resort to illicit drugs or marijuana to cope with the depression.
Studies reveal that incarceration passes from one generation to another. …show more content…
On the other hand, the mother has completely different challenges to address. Apart from handling the child, she is left wondering how to cope with the daily chores and manage family life. She often loses confidence to handle so many practical issues like finances, informing relevant authorities, and talking to children alone.
How to break the news to children?
Children instinctively idolize their father. So talking to them about why their father is away and not at home is the most difficult part. The information you give them depends on their age, maturity, and acceptance level.
Choose a quiet time and go slow. They will take time to let the information sink in and accept. They might ask questions which you might not be comfortable answering. However, answer the best you can. It would help them come to terms with reality.
Be very careful if you ask them to keep this a secret and not to share with their friends. The burden of keeping a secret puts a lot of pressure and often makes them feeling …show more content…
Reach out to them.
Challenge for poor and minorities
Poor and minority families are more fragile and struggle to cope with incarceration. Sometimes, when men are dangerously abusive to their partners, arrest improve things for families and neighborhood. Children from such families run the risk of having poor role models and turning out to be criminals. In such situations, mothers need to play the role of gatekeepers and limit the access of problematic fathers.
Can America address this social issue?
Sometimes, imprisonment is not a solution. Apart from the agony it causes to the children, it also wreaks havoc. Mass imprisonment, especially in poor and minority communities, does more harm than good. Mothers and children struggling to make both ends meet suffer more than the fathers. Moreover, children run the risk of following their father’s footsteps.
Can we find ways to punish non-violent offender without imprisonment? Can the government consider ways to mitigate the costs – both long term and immediate that imprisonment has on children? After all, children are the future of the nation and it’s our duty to protect their